Ukrainian Navy Trains Dolphins to Attack

While dolphins are often seen as friendly marine mammals who can jump through hoops and playfully interact with swimmers, they can also be deadly. They are so intelligent that they can be trained for numerous uses, including military duties.

Nearly 40 years ago, dolphins were trained in Sevastopol for the Soviet Navy. They could find military equipment such as sea mines on the seabed, as well as attack divers and even carry explosives on their heads to plant on enemy ships.

However, after the breakup of the USSR and division of the Black Sea Fleet into Ukrainian and Russian fleets, the dolphin training section and its specialists were given to the Ukrainian Navy. They were then used for civilian tasks such as working with disabled children, in order to keep the unit intact.

The Ukrainian Navy has now restarted the dolphin training program, which is one of only two in the world; the other being in San Diego, California.

"Ten dolphins are now being trained for special tasks in the Ukrainian state oceanarium, and the Ukrainian military are regularly training the animals for detecting things on the seabed," reports RIA Novosti. They are also learning how to attack enemy combat swimmers using special knives or pistols fixed to their heads.